Co-creativity, well-being and agency: A case study analysis of a co-creative arts group for people with dementia

Abstract

At the heart of this paper is an exploration of artistic co-creativity involving people with dementia and their partners. Co-creativity promotes a relational approach to creativity which nurtures inclusion and participation. This paper investigates how co-creativity can affect well-being from the perspectives of people with dementia and their carers; and explores how well-being and agency might be usefully reconsidered. The article draws on findings from a small-scale study ‘With All’ that focused on music and dance as non-verbal and therefore inclusive artforms. A range of disciplinary perspectives, from psychology, philosophy and social sciences, inform the study. The research used an intrinsic case-study methodology and within this a mixed-methods approach was adopted. This included dialogic interviews, video data analysis and the Canterbury Well-being Scale (CWS). Thematic analysis of the interviews and video data revealed three key themes: autonomy, connections, and art as an enabler. These themes captured the experiences of the participants and facilitated a more nuanced understanding of wellbeing and agency in the context of living with dementia. The analysis of the CWS indicated some improvements in well-being. Following this analysis using multiple data sources, the paper argues that well-being and agency are best understood as relational, and ongoing, rather than completed states. Further both wellbeing and agency contain their opposites (ill-being and passivity). This innovative exploration highlighted the importance of co-creative collaboration as a method that was considered valuable by participants, and that therefore should be further considered in future research with people living with dementia.

Arts-based interventions for people living with dementia: Measuring ‘in the moment’ wellbeing with the Canterbury Wellbeing Scales

“…Next, no significant moderation effects were found between carer presence and number of sessions attended for wellbeing outcomes. This is at odds with previous findings in this area (Bourne et al, 2019;Isserow, 2008;MacPherson et al, 2009;Zeilig et al, 2019) that suggested being accompanied by a carer was a key component. Whilst the importance of social relationships and the supporting role of informal carers has been established as contributing to subjective wellbeing (Lucas & Dyrenforth, 2006), it may be this is less of a factor in ABI over time.…”

“…For example, Bourne et al (2019) reported increases in wellbeing for both dyad members following a singing and an art viewing session, with the singing group also demonstrating decreases in self-reported stress. Similarly, in a study using music and dance, increases in wellbeing were also found for both dyad members (Zeilig et al, 2019).…”

“…The extant literature supports the suggestion that ABI can be used as viable social prescribing initiatives (Chatterjee et al, 2018) with positive impact to the wellbeing of people with dementia (Young et al, 2016). Furthermore, it has been postulated that the focus of participative art projects not only promotes wellbeing but also has positive implications for health, cognitive processes and communication (Zeilig et al, 2019). It is not clear, however, to what extent various components of ABI are associated with wellbeing.…”

“…This could be explained by the differences in sample sizes for each condition, with a larger number of participants taking part in ABI that did not involve co-creativity. Alternatively, it could be partly explained by the difficulties in defining co-creativity (Zeilig et al, 2019).…”

Subjective wellbeing in people living with dementia: exploring processes of multiple object handling sessions in a museum setting

“…As part of this theme, participants displayed a confidence and independence in being able to direct questions to and challenge each other and share different ideas, which encouraged group collaboration . As outlined by others, this reflects the potential added benefits that can come from the social interactions within the groups ( Zeilig et al ., 2019 ). Research has shown that engaging in activities with others in heritage settings can reduce isolation and provide a sense of “normality” for PLWD and caregivers through taking part in activities in the community as they may have done before the onset of dementia ( Sharma & Lee, 2019 ).…”